Brisket cooking too fast!

[TmanEater]

You can chemically create one but why bother.

The color and presentation of one's food is another factor that leads to better enjoyment of the overall eating experience. If your smokes always looked like dog food and they were sitting next to a brisket with a faux smoke ring I can almost guarantee which one would be devoured first. Hey, sounds like something worthy of a social experiment here. If it was a blind taste test I'm sure the results would likely be different.

[DivotMaker]

You can chemically create one but why bother.

The color and presentation of one's food is another factor that leads to better enjoyment of the overall eating experience. If your smokes always looked like dog food and they were sitting next to a brisket with a faux smoke ring I can almost guarantee which one would be devoured first. Hey, sounds like something worthy of a social experiment here. If it was a blind taste test I'm sure the results would likely be different.

+1!  It may not make it taste better, but it sure do look good!

[Pork Belly]

Divotmaster

I tried one big chunk of lump charcoal a few times early-on, searching for the elusive smoke ring (when I actually cared about it).  No luck.  I couldn't tell a difference in taste with one lump, so I quit.  In the name of science,  I'm going to have to try 3 chunks to see if I can tell a difference!  Mikey's definitely right about the smoke ring - all show.

Divotmaster

I tried lump charcoal in the box a few times, trying to get a smoke ring (when I cared about that!), but couldn't really tell any difference in the taste.  It's great, either way!  You won't be disappointed.

Divotmaster

As for the smoke ring:  The sooner you give up on chasing the elusive visual smoke ring (adds no flavor) in a smoker like this, the sooner you will be at peace.

Well Divot just when you have me convinced it does not matter, you go all Bi-Polar with your ring issues. Understandably with over 5000 posts it might be hard to remember all your previous opinions. You did some good work convincing me smoke rings don't matter I think I will stay with that opinion for now, I'm at peace with it.

[TmanEater]

I don't see the bipolar? He tried to get it, understood it was for all visual effect anyway, and never had success without curing salt. But we all agree it looks neat.

[SuperDave]

...... and never had success without curing salt. But we all agree it looks neat.

But only to a point.  The artificial smoke rings I've seen on some posts using the curing salt look awful in my opinion when they are 1/2" + deep.  So much so that it tells me to only add the curing salt toward the very end of the brine period.  Adding a smoke ring for appearance sake would at least want to look natural. 

[Pork Belly]

The artificial smoke rings I've seen on some posts using the curing salt look awful in my opinion

+1

[TmanEater]

I guess I like "some" variations in color. I think anyone that lives in Arizona must have a significant appreciation for various shades of everything brown. I'll visit there but I won't live there.

Each to their own...

[DivotMaker]

Well Divot just when you have me convinced it does not matter, you go all Bi-Polar with your ring issues. Understandably with over 5000 posts it might be hard to remember all your previous opinions. You did some good work convincing me smoke rings don't matter I think I will stay with that opinion for now, I'm at peace with it.

Well, Brian, as you know, opinions can change.  lol.  You are absolutely right!  When I wrote the posts you cited, I didn't know about the curing salt trick, and just decided that it didn't matter.  But, I was obviously fooling myself, because I couldn't get that "look!"  I still contend that it doesn't matter, from a taste perspective; makes no difference.  From a presentation perspective, I think it looks amazing, and I obviously cared about trying to chase a way to get it - which I eventually found! 

And Dave, yes, sometimes it goes a bit deep.  That can be controlled with time.  Some of the loin pics I did with it were a little deep, but those were experiments on brine penetration, which the curing salt was perfect for.  On a pork butt or brisket, though, you'd be hard-pressed to tell one from the other (usually about 1/4").

Bottom line, guys and gals?  Do what you like - not what I, or anyone else, likes.  The smoke ring is just a visual effect, nothing more.  The point of the discussion is that the only way you will get one, in an SI, is with curing salt. 

[Sweet Baby Ray]

OK I smoked another brisket last night, this time a 7 pounder and it reached 199 in 6 hours, my number 1 seems to consistently cook quicker.
I started another 11.8lb brisket at 9:00am today and it hit 199 at 2:00, I have lowered it to 200, I really don't want to pull it out before 4pm as I have people coming over at 8pm..
Has anyone else had quicker cooking times on their number 1?

[Pork Belly]

If you have an auber you may be safe at 200, though I think that is too high for a holding temp. Far better to hold at 140 or 145. That way your in the safe zone but if the temp spikes it will not be so high. Set at 200 potentially it could go up to 225. 

[DivotMaker]

If you have an auber you may be safe at 200, though I think that is too high for a holding temp. Far better to hold at 140 or 145. That way your in the safe zone but if the temp spikes it will not be so high. Set at 200 potentially it could go up to 225.

+1.  At 200, you're still cooking.  The hold temp needs to be lower, like Brian said, to keep in the safe zone, but no longer be cooking.

[Moonz]

What about that smoke ring pork belly,
I could always get it with my propane smoker!!
Sorry just had to ad my 2 cents (even though I'm still a newbie)
So who's smokin a corned Beef this wknd? I am got a 7 pounder in brine
Now!!

[Pork Belly]

Moonz search "Smoke ring" no need to rewrite old information. If it matters to you it is possible to get the appearance but it is not a priority for me.

[Moonz]

I was just jokin with ya 

[mizzoufan]

Hmm, I'm having what appears to be the same issue (unless it's a probe placement one, I'm trying not to open it yet).  I have an 11lb brisket and an 8lb boston butt in my #2 at ~235.  Put them in at noon and 4.5 hours later my probe (in the brisket) is reading 168 which seems really fast.